Working methods of ITU-T Georges Sebek Counselor, SG 17 ITU

Working methods of ITU-T

Georges SebekCounselor, SG 17

ITU

2Geneva, 26 January 2009

Outline

1. High level overview and structure of ITU-T

2. Study groups

3. Questions

4. Other roles / groups / activities

5. Standardization overview1. Development of Recommendations

2. Meeting documentation

3. Approval of Recommendations


Q = Questions Develop Recommendations JCA: Joint Coordination ActivityGSI: Global Standards Initiative

WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONSTANDARDIZATION ASSEMBLY

WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONSTANDARDIZATION ASSEMBLY

TELECOMMUNICATIONSTANDARDIZATIONADVISORY GROUP

TELECOMMUNICATIONSTANDARDIZATIONADVISORY GROUP

High level overview and structure

IPR ad hoc

Workshops,Seminars,

Symposia, …

Co

nse

nsu

s

WORKINGPARTY

Q

WORKINGPARTY

WORKINGPARTY

STUDY GROUPSTUDY GROUP STUDY GROUPSTUDY GROUP STUDY GROUPSTUDY GROUP

QQQ

Focus Groups

Q

WORKINGPARTY

GSIs

JCA

ITU Plenipotentiary Assemblies (PP)

(every 4 years)


ITU-T study groups

SG 2 - Operational aspects of service provision and telecommunications managementSG 3 - Tariff and accounting principles including related telecommunication economic and policy issues SG 5 - Protection against electromagnetic environment effects SG 9 - Television and sound transmission and integrated broadband cable networks SG 11 - Signalling requirements, protocols and test specifications SG 12 - Performance, QoS and QoE SG 13 - Future networks including mobile and NGN SG 15 - Optical transport networks and access network infrastructures SG 16 - Multimedia coding, systems and applications SG 17 – Security

TSAG - Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group


QuestionsQ.1 - Telecommunications systems security projectQ.2 - Security architecture and frameworkQ.3 - Telecommunications information security managementQ.4 - CybersecurityQ.5 - Countering spam by technical meansQ.6 - Security aspects of ubiquitous telecommunication servicesQ.7 - Secure application servicesQ.8 - Service oriented architecture securityQ.9 - TelebiometricsQ.10 - Identity management architecture and mechanismsQ.11 - Directory services, Directory systems, and public-key/attribute certificatesQ.12 - Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1), Object Identifiers (OIDs) and associated registrationQ.13 - Formal languages and telecommunication softwareQ.14 - Testing languages, methodologies and frameworkQ.15 - Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)

EXAMPLE FOR SG 17


New/revision to Questions

Members submit proposed

Questions (§7.1.1)

TSB distributes Question to

Members (§7.1.3)

SG reviews and agrees to submit

Question for approval (§7.1.6)

LS sent to TSAG for endorsement or suggested changes

(§7.1.7)

TSAG reviews and recommends

(§7.2.4)

SG requests consultation of Member States

(§7.2.3)

Director notifies members of

approval

Director requests Member States’

approval (§7.2.3a)

Consensus at SG? (§7.2.2)

(§7.2.3c)

(§7.2.3a)

Member States replies (§7.2.3b)

Min: 1 monthMin: 2 months

Nex

t TS

AG

mee

tingSee §7.1.2 for

Question text template

SG itself proposes new or revised

Question (§7.1.4)

Urgent case?

(§7.1.8)

OK from TSB Director, TSAG chairman, other

SG chairs (§7.1.8)

At lest four members commit

themselves to support the work

(§7.2.2)

No

Yes

LS sent to TSAG for noting (§7.2.5)

Yes

No

Only very exceptional

cases!!!

(Res. 1, §7)


Other roles/groups/activitiesLead study groups (Res. 1, § 2.1.6)Manage and coordinate ITU-T studies forming a defined programme of work involving a number of SGs

Focus groups (Rec. A.7)Work on well-defined topic and time-schedule for completionEx.: Focus Group on IP television (IPTV)

Focus Group on ICTs and climate change (ICT&CC) Focus Group on Future networks (FN)

(Participation of non-member experts welcome)

Standardization committee for vocabulary (Res. 67)set up to address the need for a harmonized understanding of

all terms and definitions used in standardization


Other roles/groups/activities

Workshops/SeminarsCover the most important topics in modern telecommunication technology and applicationsSpeakers are renowned telecommunication expertsUsually free of charge and open to public

ITU-T special projectsStudy on a major topic, involving multiple Questions from one or several SGs:e.g., NGN Project Management, ICT Security Standards Roadmap

Technology watchTechnology Watch will survey the ICT environment, focusing on new/emerging technologies and examining market trends in order to capture new topics for standardization work



Global standards initiative (GSI)– Not a working entity but a name for the package of work

being conducted through collocated meetings of the involved study groups and rapporteur groups under the umbrella of a coordinated work plan managed by the JCA.

– IdM-GSI, NGN-GSI, IPTV-GSIJoint coordination activity (JCA)

– Tool for management of the work programme of ITU-T when there is a need to address a broad subject covering the area of competence of more than one study group. A JCA may help to coordinate the planned work effort in terms of subject matter, time-frames for meetings, collocated meetings where necessary and publication goals.

– Work continues to be conducted by the relevant study groups and the results are subject to the normal approval processes within each study group.



Regional Groups– Res. 54 of the World Telecommunication

Standardization Assembly (WTSA) resolves to support the creation of regional groups in study groups, in addition to those already existing in Study Group 3.

– SG 2:RG - ARB Regional Group of SG2 in the ARAB Region

– SG 3: Tariff GroupTariff Group for Africa Tariff Group for Asia and Oceania Tariff Group for Latin America Tariff Group for Europe and Mediterranean Basin



Flagship groups– Program 4 of the Annex to Res. 44 concerns flagship groups for

bridging the standardization gap. This new type of group was defined by WTSA in 2004.

– SG 2:Flagship Group on NNA (IPv6).

Cooperation with universities– Many new technologies find life in the minds of the academic and

research communities. ITU is increasingly looking to attract more involvement from the world’s universities and other academic institutions.

– Res.71, Admission of academia, universities and their associated research establishments to participate in the work of ITU-T

Strategic importance of increasing participation from academia and R&D organizationsITU Council invited to consider reduced membership feesFind means within existing rules

– Kaleidoscope. Events aiming to increase the dialogue between experts working on the standardization of ICTs and academia. These forward looking events will also seek to identify new topics for standardization. Yearly event.


Standardization overview

Development of RecommendationsMeeting documentationApproval of Recommendations


Development of Recommendations

Responsibility for a Recommendation resides within a QuestionThe rapporteur for the Question is responsible for leading the work on the assigned draft RecommendationsIf the workload is significant, associate rapporteurs and/or editors can be appointedAll work in progress is recorded and the work programme updated as necessaryThe work programme is available on the ITU-T website


The work is driven by contributions from the membershipWhen necessary, assistance, comment may be requested from experts in other SGs or external standardization organization (liaison statement)The liaison mechanism also helps for avoiding duplication of workIf required, a coordination structure can be established (e.g., JCAs)




Other sources for progressing Recommendations– Focus group deliverables– Standards from other SDOs, received via liaison

statements– Results from relevant workshops– Guidance from coordination / advisory groups

(i.e., JCAs, TSAG)

Tools– Work programme, project management,

definitions and abbreviations database, Questions e-mail exploders, discussion board, FTP for documentation exchange, e-meetings, face-to-face meetings



Face-to-face meetings. The experts in a Question work area can meet at a study group meeting (basically every 8-9 months), at a working party meeting (may be organized in between study group meetings) or at interim rapporteur group meetings.SG and WP meetings are decisional (SG/WP can agree a Recommendation enter the approval process). However, only a SG meeting can decide on the final approval of a Recommendation



SG and WP meetings benefit from the support of the ITU/TSB. Generally organized in Geneva. However, upon invitation by Members the meeting may be held outside of Geneva (e.g., January 2008, SG 11, 13 and 19 held in Seoul, Korea). They are officially announced (Collective-letters) by the ITU/TSBRapporteurs are responsible for the organization of interim rapporteur group meetings or activities, including for the logistics, e-meetings,.. The date and venue of these meetings are shown on the relevant SG web page


Meeting documentation

Contributions or “COM-N” documents. (N=SG number)

Must be submitted at least 10 calendar days before the meeting. The source can only be a (or a group of) Member of the ITU-T.

(submitted at least 2 months before the meeting if translation is required)

ReportsOfficial records of SG, WP or rapporteur group meetings. To be available shortly after the closure of the meetings (Rec. A.1)



Temporary DocumentsSubmitted by a meeting ‘official’ (a member of the SG management team, rapporteur, editor, etc.) or TSBIncludes, for example:– Reports of interim rapporteur group meetings or other

activities (workshop, seminar, etc.)– Latest draft text for Recommendations– Inputs from other SGs as “liaison statements”– Inputs from other

Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), forums and consortia, also as “liaison statements”

– Any group reports generated during a meeting



Related documentation– Circulars: Information of general interest

Annual ITU-T meetings scheduleAnnouncement of WorkshopsAnnouncement of GSI eventsAnnouncement of Approval and deletion of Recommendations and QuestionsQuestionnaires

– Collective-letters: Invitation to a specific SG/WP meeting

with agenda, meeting plan, etc.

– AAP Announcements: Information on Recommendations under AAP process

posted on 1st and 16th of every month (e-version only)



Any ITU-T member 1) may submit 2)

contributions using the Templates,

preferably electronically

- e-mail to SG xx [email protected] Automated document submission system-FTP drop box via the web (requires TIES account)

1) and ITU-T Associate 2) Please consult your home organization for national approval processes

WHO can contribute?WHO can contribute?

HOWHOW??


Approval of Recommendations

SG or WP“DETERMINES”

SG or WP“CONSENTS”

Member State “CONSULTATION”

by mail

SG “DECIDES”

Post to web

~10 months

TAP

AAP

Comment

Post to Web

N

Y

(2 times max)

SG “DECIDES”

<10 weeks (average)

Approved

Approved

SG: Study GroupWP: Working Party

Post to web



TAP – Traditional approval process– DETERMINATION at a physical WP/SG meeting– CONSULTATION of Member States by mail– DECISION to approve is taken at next study group

meeting, about 9 months later

AAP – Alternative approval process– CONSENT at a physical meeting– E-mail notification of AAP initiation– LAST CALL (and ADDITIONAL REVIEW) via web– If no substantive comments are submitted,

Recommendation is approved



TAP or AAPA Question is developing Recommendations that are a priori identified as relevant to an approval process (AAP or TAP)A text having policy/regulatory implications will follow the TAPThe pre-determined approval process track for a Recommendation may be changed



Sequence of AAP events

SG orWP

)

LC: Last Call

AR: Additional Review

meeting(1

Editedtext

for LC(2)

Approved

4(b)

(c)

9 11

(a)

(a) (b)

(a)(b)

Director'sannouncementand postingfor LC

(3)

Editedtext

for AR(8)

Director'sannouncementand postingfor AR

(10)

Director'sannouncement

and posting(5)

SGMeeting

(6)

Director'snotification

and publication(see Rec. A.11)

(12)

3 weeks Approved

Approved

Commentresolution

AR3 weeks

LC4 weeks

(7)

(Rec. A.8, Fig. 1)



Other SG deliverablesNormative – approved by TAP or AAP– Amendments (e.g., Annexes to

Recommendations)– Corrigenda to Recommendations

Non-normative – agreed by consensus at a SG (or WP, for Supplement)– Amendments (e.g., Appendices)– Supplements– Implementers’ Guides– Handbooks, Manuals, …


Summary

ITU-T working methods are open and transparentMuch flexibility is available for the development of RecommendationsConsensus based-approvalTimely development of Recommendations to meet the telecommunication market needsMaintenance of Recommendations (long term relevance)


Thank you for your attention